Always the Protector
by worthfighting4
Summary: After the take over of LA by the king of Nevada, Eric and Sookie confront some misplaced memories that are finally found. No more leaving things to be discussed later or running away from our problems...
1. Chapter 1

After what seemed like hours I finally got everyone settled and out of my house. Bill took the longest to agree, stating he wanted to stay and make sure no one came back. I thought I was going to have to rescind his invitation once again, but he finally agreed to leave. Amelia went to meet with Pam, in need of some special comforting after such a stressful night. Eric had just disappeared when the vampire Victor left to give his King the good news that Eric would be pledging his loyalty to him with no qualms. I shut all the lights off around the house that had been rudely left on by all my guests and headed to my bedroom for a long night of no sleep and lots of thinking. Of course I would try to push everything from my mind. Not think about the future and what a new regime might mean to me, if not Eric. Eric…. I supposed he could worry about himself and I was sure he would, but I couldn't help worry about him. He was bonded to me and I could almost always get some idea of what he was feeling. Apparently he had not gone too far I could still feel him. He was confused, conflicted, worried, and relieved at the same time. I didn't want to try to dissect his feelings right now. All I wanted was to think about my own feelings, and to be honest, I didn't really want to do that either. I didn't want to know what I was feeling, whether good or bad, Eric was part of me, no matter what.

I let out a little yelp when I opened my bedroom door to see him seated on my bed, head in hands. I knew he knew I had entered the room but he didn't move a muscle.

"Eric?" I said at a whisper. The look on his face would have scared me if we were normal people, but we weren't, were we. "Eric, are you okay?" Yup that's me, Sookie the Vampire counselor. His eyes were pleading with me and his emotions were chaotic suddenly.

"I remember." He whispered right back. I think I stopped breathing for a moment. I couldn't believe two little words could knock the wind from my lungs, but there I was… breathless. I knew one day he would remember. In my heart of hearts I hoped he would. "I remember everything." I wasn't sure what to do, go to his side and console him for the time that he had feelings, kiss him, or ask him to leave at once. Apparently he wasn't sure what to do either, so we stared, him on my bed, me standing in the doorway to my bedroom. The bedroom I had once shared with him, if only for a few days. As he stared, I knew we were both remembering. His new memories, mine old ones that I had been avoiding for what seemed like forever.

A knock at my front door jostled us out of our staring match and Eric stood at once. _Always the protector _I thought to myself.

"Eric, sit." I insisted and he looked at me through insulted eyes, he hated being told what to do. "I'm sorry, please sit. No one can come in from the wards, I'll be fine." I reassured him and he surprisingly sat back down on his place on the bed. I tried not to look so surprised and turned to walk towards the front door. When I opened the main door, or what was left of it, I found Quinn standing on my porch.

"Babe!" He almost screamed as he tried to open the screen without any success. Thank you Amelia. "Are you okay? Let me in." He had urgency in his voice, but I just leaned against the door and stared at him.

"What can I do for you Quinn?" My voice sounded cold, I hardly recognized it.

"Babe, let me in." He went from urgent to pitiful. "You aren't safe here, let me stay here tonight, I'll make sure no one can get to you." He was sincerely worried about me, I could see that in his eyes, but I couldn't seem to care.

"I'm not safe here?" I asked, still not letting him in.

"No, you shouldn't be alone, not when they know where you are." He was starting to plead with me in the manliest way possible.

"And I wonder how they found out where I live." I stared straight into his eyes and could tell I had hit a nerve. "Besides I'm not alone." I added, hitting another button. With that said Quinn lifted his nose into the air and took in a breath through his nose. His eyes went from pleading and sincere to violent in an instant.

"Bloodsucker." He hissed through clenched teeth. "You think he'll keep you safe, he's done nothing but put you in danger." I could feel anger build through the bond, well aware that Eric had heard everything said. Not even a moment later Eric was coming up behind me, the look in his eyes hadn't changed from the soft confused look I had seen earlier, but his face was wearing its best cocky smile.

"I was just leaving." He pushed past me, laying a hard kiss on my mouth but for exiting. After getting my heart calmed down a bit I followed after him. He had just reached the bottom of the porch steps and I could tell he would be taking off into flight any second.

"Eric!" I screamed it without meaning to. He turned to me, cocky smile and sad eyes. "Don't go." I didn't know what I was doing, I just knew I didn't want him to leave; I couldn't leave this hanging in the air. Quinn ran up behind me and grabbed a hold of my arm keeping from barreling down the stairs after Eric.

"Sookie!" Quinn yelled, I was glad to be rid of the babe name calling. "You can't be serious, he can't protect you he can only cause you more trouble." His hand was rough on my arm but I didn't take my eyes from Eric. "Babe," oh gosh we were back to babe, "are you listening to me, he's a monster."

"You have no idea what you're talking about Quinn." I spoke but once again didn't take my eyes off Eric afraid that he would take off the second I did. "You've always done everything you could to protect me." I shook Quinn's arm off, easily, he must have been too shocked by what I was saying to keep his grip on me. I took a step closer to Eric, down one step. "Longshadow," I started naming the times I could recall he had been there, but I was sure there had been times I didn't even know about, " Maenad, Dallas, pink lycra," I remember with a smile, "the stake, the trunk," that was a painful memory, being raped by someone I had once loved, "all the bullets…" seriously how many bullets did a man have to take for you before you realized there was a pattern. I paused when I saw the cocky smile had faded and I took another step closer.

"Sookie, you don't know what you're doing." Quinn was convinced I had lost my mind as I edged closer to the Vampire standing on my lawn. "What are you doing to her?" he growled at Eric who didn't take his eyes from me. The bond was sending me a garbled up ball of emotions, a weaker woman would have gotten ill from all the feelings at once, but I continued.

"The soda bomb, the Pelts, Andre." I heard a snort from behind me and knew it had come from Quinn who didn't agree that Eric's bonding with me had been protection at all, but hadn't that been his intention. "All you've ever done is tried to protect me." I couldn't read Eric's expression. It was almost blank, but I could see something there beneath the surface, perhaps without the bond I wouldn't have seen it, but it was there. When I reached the last step I was a mere foot from Eric and closer to eye level thanks to the boost in height from the step. I searched his eyes as he searched mine; it appeared we were both looking for the answer to why he had done all this.

I couldn't say how long had passed or if Quinn had continued to rant, but suddenly something passed through the bond, something stronger than the multitude of other emotions he was feeling, I gasped at the feeling. His eyes widened for only a second when he felt it too. I tried to keep the smile from starting to creep up the corners of my mouth, but was failing miserably. I didn't think it was possible for Eric to look anymore uncomfortable or fearful. I could see Quinn out of my peripheral vision now that I had found the answer I had been searching for in Eric's face. He was standing with his arms crossed on his chest looking like a spoiled child not getting his way. Okay a big bald muscle-bound child but a child none the less.

I looked deeper into Eric's eyes than I ever had before just when I proclaimed the answer I had found, "You love me." I couldn't help the grin that was spread across my face. Quinn made a sound of disgust and then laughed at me.

"You're kidding me, right?" Quinn asked through his laughter.

"Don't be ridiculous Sookie." Eric's face was stone, but he couldn't lie to me not with the tricky little bond that was between us. The smile never left my face, even with his attempt at denial.

"See Babe, you're wrong, even he said you're being ridiculous." Quinn was back to grabbing my arm. Eric finally broke my stare to hiss at Quinn who let go but didn't back away.

"You hate it." I said matter of factly. He did I knew he didn't like having feelings, but that didn't mean they weren't there. I knew that from personal experience. "I hate it too."

He flinched but quickly resumed his blank face, "You hate that you think I'm in love with you?"

"No, I hate that I'm in love with you." The corner of his mouth jerked up for a second and could have sworn I saw his eyes sparkle. I sighed. "So what will it be," I caught Eric gaze again, "are you going to stay with me, or should I let the tiger stay?" I felt his amusement at my referring to Quinn as "the tiger" as the award winning Eric smile crept back onto his face.

"Night _babe." _his eyes flicked to Quinn on the word babe.

"You can't be serious Babe…. Sookie?" I didn't move my eyes off of Eric.

"You heard him, run along little kitty." I flinched for a second when I heard the growl that Quinn released into the night air. He left though, with his tail metaphorically between his legs.

After along moment of silence Eric broke it, "Go pack."

I lifted my eyebrow at him, "Pack? Eric I said for you to stay, not take me away."

"You really don't think I'm staying in that hole in your floor, I have more suitable accommodations. Besides he'll be back." He pointed his head where Quinn had left from.

"Afraid of one little cat?" I asked him teasingly. He pulled me close to his chest and bent his face to mine.

"I don't want to be interrupted." Before I could say anything back or even get a handle on the explosion that was going on in my body, his lips firmly pressed to mine. I met him with eager willingness that I was sure he hadn't expected. His hands pulled me tighter against him as he wrapped his arms around my waist. My hands found his hair to make sure he didn't try to run away from the kiss we were sharing. When I finally broke the kiss in order to take a deep breath he took the chance to lay light kisses on my neck making my skin fill with heat. His hands moved quickly to my shoulder. He used this position to turn me back the house, lay a swift tap on my bottom and tell me to go pack. I did so, without argument.

We drove to Eric's in my car, he drove, disgusted with my car. I tried to convince him to fly along side, but he didn't appreciate my suggestion. Instead he growled and hissed every time my car wouldn't go along with whatever he was trying to make it do. I fell asleep despite the fight he was having in the seat next to me. When I awoke I was nuzzled comfortably in Eric's neck, draped with the softest fabric I had ever felt. I considered never moving again, being the most comfortable I'd ever been, but of course I'd have to move eventually. I untucked myself from Eric's body with some difficulty; he had his big arms wrapped around me, not to mention his legs intertwined with mine. I was able to make it out from his arms but my legs were stuck so I sat up at an odd angle and pushed my hair from my face.

The room was dimly lit. I could see the walls were some kind of cream color, all the wood in the room was dark cherry and there were no windows (big surprise). I looked down and realized I was no longer in the clothes I had traveled in; instead I was wearing pajama pants and a camisole. I was shocked out of my observation when a hand pulled me back to the bed, leaving my face centimeters from Eric's.

"Lover." It wasn't a question. I think he just wanted to hear himself say it without getting a dirty look.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I wondered how he accomplished bringing me in from the car and changing me without me noticing.

"It was a long night." He answered simply. He closed in the space that was between us and pressed his lips against mine. His hand found my hip and his fingers slid effortlessly inside the bottom of my camisole to feel my skin. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest. He pulled away from me and looked into my eyes. I attempted to catch my breath, but quickly decided that breathing is overrated. I pressed my lips firmly into his and my body followed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys I wasn't going to do anything else with this but I got a bit of blockage in my brain so I decided to write the story from Eric's point of view.... it's just for fun.. hope y'all like it! :) **

**Sorry about typos and such.. i try to edit myself but I never see everything until too late! **

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My memories hit me and I felt like I had been hit by a truck. Believe it or not, I actually know what that feels like. I wandered away from the group. My dead heart felt like it was on fire. I had to clear my head. I wandered into her room. I sat on the edge of the bed I had shared with her. She had held my hand. She comforted a vampire she allegedly couldn't stand to be around. What she had told me before was all true. I had offered to leave everything for her; she was the best I had ever had. Although it disgusted me to remember myself in such a weakened pitiful state, she had loved me. Well, something close anyway. I lowered my head into my hands as the memories kept crashing in. If vampires could get headaches, I would have a migraine. I had to admit, well to myself at least, as relieved as I was to finally have that part of my life back I was worried about what it was already doing to me. I could feel the ice around my heart melting more than it already had. I ran my hands through my hair, I had to figure out how to get her back, whether I wanted to or not, I needed her, I wanted her. I could hear her clearing out her house. When she finally got Bill to agree to leave she let out a sigh. I could feel through the bond that she was worried, but not about herself. She should be worried, who knows what the new King would do to get her. I, of course, would do everything in my power to protect her. I should be worried about my own undead life, but I couldn't help but worry about my fragile little stubborn Sookie. Whether good or bad, she was part of me, no matter what.

I heard her as she approached the door and turned the knob. I even heard her let out a little squeak of surprise when she opened the bedroom door. How she didn't know I was there with the bond shows her lack of ability when it comes to controlling it. I wasn't ready to meet her eyes just yet, so I stayed where I was, frozen in time. I was sorting through all the new memories and all the new feeling that were rising up in me.

"Eric?" She whispered my name from the doorway. I willed myself to return to calm cool collected Eric. I don't think it worked, when she saw my face I saw nothing but concern in her eyes. "Eric, are you okay?" Was she really asking me if I was okay? I wanted to kiss her, kill her, force my will on her, free her, and turn her all at the same moment. A lesser man would have crumbled from the force of so many strong emotions at once. She should have been scared, if she was normal she would be, but we weren't normal, were we? I couldn't hold back my words any longer.

"I remember." It was supposed to come out loud and confident, but it came out as a whisper. Her body went stiff with my words, her eyes were as wide as saucers, and she appeared to stop breathing. I could feel her panic and excitement through the bond. Female emotions were so confusing to dissect. Then again, hadn't I had my own conflicting emotions just moments before? "I remember everything." I continued hoping she would start breathing again. She did. Taking a deep breath, she seemed to be trying to figure out what to do next. While she stood in the doorway I stared into her eyes. Having her there in the room with me made the memories all the more real. I could tell she was remembering also, a slight blush started to rise on her cheeks.

A knock at her front door broke our staring match, at least her end. I stood automatically, prepared to protect what belonged to me.

"Eric, sit." Of course she wouldn't let me take care of her, she was emasculating and infuriating as ever. "I'm sorry, please sit. No one can come in from the wards, I'll be fine." I forced myself to sit. If I was going to win her back I was going to have to compromise. _What the hell am I thinking? _ I shook my head. I knew it was the tiger before she even made it to the door. I could smell him from where I sat. I knew she wouldn't want me to kill him, so I'd let her handle it for now. I could hear him calling her 'Babe' frantically while pounding on the door. I could feel her disgust when she heard it and I laughed a little to myself. The little witch's spells must have been working because he didn't make it into the house. He was actually begging her to let him in. _Pathetic. _ He was actually offering to protect her. I knew no one would be coming for her tonight, she was safe for now. I also knew she wouldn't let the tiger in.

When she mentioned she wasn't alone, I took this as my cue. I thought about readjusting my clothes when I exited the room, to incite a little more anger in the were, but I didn't want to make Sookie look cheap. _Seriously, what the hell am I thinking? _ I needed to clear my head and fast. I slapped on my best cocky smile. I couldn't come out of the room looking like an emotional mess, which would do wonders for my reputation. The second I looked into her eyes I knew I had to get out of there before I did something crazy.

"I was just leaving." I pushed past Sookie, but as soon as I felt her skin on mine I couldn't help myself. I leaned in a placed a hard kiss on her succulent lips. Then like the pansy I was starting to act like, I ran for it. Well, not literally. I calmly turned my back to her and made my way off her porch. I was a second away from taking off into the sky when I heard her.

"Eric!" I didn't want to turn around, but this woman had somehow come to own me. I kept the smug look on my face when I turned. "Don't go." She sounded desperate. That made me feel a little better, at least I appeared to be affecting her too. Quinn was grabbing her, trying to keep her from running to me. I wanted to kill him, but I knew she wouldn't like bloodshed on her front porch. I didn't remove my eyes from hers; it was like I was stuck somehow. I heard the tiger yelling at her still holding on to her arm, but as long as she kept eye contact I was frozen. I heard him refer to me as a monster. He is right, I am a monster… the very same monster that was devising a plan to fly him off the porch and kill him out of in the woods. I was pulled from my bloody vision when she was speaking once again.

"You have no idea what you're talking about Quinn." She spoke softly this time. She didn't take my eyes off me, I wondered if she knew that if she did, I would be gone, and so would the tiger. "You've always done everything you could to protect me." She shook the tiger's hand off her arm and started towards me. I fought backing up. I wouldn't let myself be afraid of a silly little human woman. She started naming things she knew I had protected her from. She didn't know the half of it. When she mentioned the orgy I had attended with her, her lips turned up in a smile at the mention of pink lycra. I couldn't help but wonder if I still had that outfit somewhere in the depths of my closet. I stopped wondering when she referred to the trunk incident. Bill had raped and almost drained her. I could feel her pain through the bond and it was all I could do not to wince. I realized that my smile had faded and couldn't seem to find its way back to my lips. "all the bullets…" Seriously, how many bullets did I have to take for her before she would trust me to take care of her?

She was only a few steps above me and the tiger was back to being annoying, insinuating that I was controlling her somehow. Little did he know, she had me more glamoured than I had ever had her. My emotions were running wild the closer she got to me. I hate emotions. I was back to wanting to take where she stood or kill her to end my weakness.

"All you've ever done is tried to protect me." She stated simply, it was true, even if I didn't know why. I always had to protect this woman. I kept my face blank, just because she could feel me through the bond didn't mean I was going to give away the truth to the rest of the world. When she reached the bottom step, she was closer to my eye level and I couldn't help but peer into her eyes. I was searching. For answers, for a clue, for anything that could explain why I had to protect her. Even before the bond, before she kept me safe, before she saved my ass on numerous occasions, I had to keep her out of harm's way.

I couldn't say how long had passed or if the tiger was even still there, but suddenly something passed through the bond. Something stronger than the multitude of feelings we were throwing back and forth between us. I knew it was the answer. She gasped and I felt my eyes widen for a split second before returning to my calm mask. I knew she saw it, because a smile started to creep into the corners of her mouth. I loved this almost human woman, and she knew it. _Damn blood bond. _ The tiger was still there, I couldn't forget that smell if I wanted to. Sookie paid him no mind. Instead she peered even more deeply into my eyes, I hadn't thought it was possible, but there it was.

"You love me." She was grinning. I kept my face like stone. I heard the tiger make a sound of disgust and start laughing. He was mocking her, but she just stood there smiling at me knowingly.

"Don't be ridiculous Sookie."Love, what we had transcended love. I didn't want to make the tiger think he was right, but I couldn't make such a declaration. I am Eric Northman, bad ass sheriff of area five, not Eric Northman, whipped man. The smile never left her face though. I knew I was in trouble.

"See Babe, you're wrong, even he said you're being ridiculous." The tiger was back to grabbing her again. I couldn't just take it, I was back to killing him in my mind when I turned and hissed at him. His hand dropped, but he stayed where he was.

"You hate it." I turned my attention back to the woman in front of me. She was right, I hated having feelings, but that didn't mean they weren't there. "I hate it too." I couldn't hold back flinching. Did she just say to my face that she hates that I'm in love her? I needed clarification. I wish I didn't, but I do.

"You hate that you think I'm in love with you?" I asked keeping my face blank and emotionless.

"No," Okay this woman was getting even more confusing, "I hate that I'm in love with you." A smirk fought to find its place on my lips, but I quickly refused it. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment before speaking again, "So what will it be lover?" She caught my eye again and I almost laughed when she called me lover. I waited for her to continue. "Are you going to stay with me, or should I let the tiger stay?" I couldn't help but smile when I heard her refer to the were as 'The Tiger'.

"Night _babe."_ I let my eyes flicker to the very angry were to my left when I said the word babe.

"You can't be serious Babe… Sookie?" He was furious and I loved it. She was torturing far better than I had planned to.

"You heard him, run along little kitty." She flinched a bit when he growled and ran off. We stood there for a moment in comfortable silence. I looked her over. I had never been prouder to call her mine.

Finally I spoke, "Go pack." If I was going to let this woman own me, I wasn't going to let her know. I had to stay in control or we were both in trouble. Even though she told the tiger that I loved her, I hadn't actually said it. I was sure he just thought this was an elaborate plan to get in her bed and that was how it would have to look. If anyone knew the truth, she would be used against me. She was now my only weakness. I just had to make sure that no one knew it.

"Pack? Eric I said for you to stay, not take me away." She lifted her eyebrow at me. Even when she was being difficult I wanted to ravage her.

"You don't really think I'm staying in the hole in your floor, I have more suitable accommodations. Besides, he'll be back." It might have been true, but really I wanted her in my home, in my bed where I could stay with her through the day.

"Afraid of one little cat?" She obviously forgot who she was talking to, so I wanted to remind her.

"I don't want to be interrupted." _by the sun, your witch roommate, Compton, by anything at all .._. I finished in my head. Before she could respond, because let's face it, when did she not respond, I pulled her to me and pressed her lips firmly to mine. It felt like an explosion to through the bond. I felt her respond and my hands tightened around her pulling her that much closer to me. Her fingers found my hair and held me in place, as if I would leave her behind. She finally tore away from lips, apparently she needed to breath; human needs annoyed me at times like this. I took it upon myself to press my lips lightly up and down her neck. I would convince her to come with me. When I felt she was adequately prepared, my hands found her shoulders and turned her back to the house. With a light tap on her beautiful backside I told her once again to go pack. Surprisingly she did so, without argument. Perhaps this would be easier than I thought.

She made me drive her sorry excuse for a car all the way to my Shreveport home. The car was as exasperating as Sookie. It refused to do what I wanted it to do. So I growled, hissed, and cursed my way down the highway. I felt through the bond that she was highly amused at her cars behavior and that just made me angrier. When the bond went quiet I looked to my right to find my angelic Sookie, fast asleep. I pulled into my garage and cut the engine. I watched her sleep for a minute (she was so much easier to deal with asleep) before I decided to carry her into the house. She mumbled something incoherent and pressed her face into my chest. I was definitely in trouble; I could hardly take my eyes off of her. When I placed her on my bed I riffled through the bag she had packed.

Oddly enough she had packed pajamas. If I had anything to do with it, she wouldn't be wearing them very long, but I wasn't going to wake her just yet. She might as well be comfortable. I gently began to disrobe her, starting with her shoes and working my way up. It took everything within me not to shake her awake and have my way with her. Instead, I pushed her into a camisole and pajama pants that I had found in her things. With that done I retreated to the master bath to douse myself with cold water. When I got myself under control I made my way back to my bed and back to my Sookie. When I slid myself between the sheets she found her way over to me in her sleep. She nuzzled her face into my neck, draped her arm across my body, and intertwined her legs with mine. I reciprocated by wrapping my arms around her and holding her to me. I went into down time as I waited.

I didn't notice at first when she woken up. When I was pulled out of my lull she was sitting up at an odd angle, legs still intertwined with mine taking in the room. She seemed surprised to find herself in different clothes and I was proud that I hadn't jarred her awake as I had wanted to. I couldn't take the distance she had made any longer so I pulled her down to the bed only to have her lips almost touching mine.

"Lover." I wasn't asking her, I was more or less testing the water to see how she would react. She gave me a soft smile and I knew I was in.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked softly. I wanted to tell her that I wanted nothing more than to wake her up so we could start what I was assuming would be a passion filled evening and that I almost started it with her still asleep but I didn't.

"It was a long night." I answered simply. Then I closed the small amount of space between us and pressed my lips to hers. My body was begging me to continue so my fingers found the bottom of her camisole and slid beneath it craving the skin that was there. She was soft and warm, just like in my newly acquired memories. I could feel her heart beating against my silent chest, it was so hard and fast I got a bit worried about my delicate lover. I pulled away and looked into her eyes, making sure she was okay. She was out of breath and I was giving her a moment to catch it when her mouth attacked mine. Her body followed shortly after her lips and I knew it was a night I would never let myself forget.

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**I've been so consumed with the Eric/Sookie world that I've started talking like Eric in my day to day convesations.. this worries me. **

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